Condell returning to Blue Cross fold

(Crain's) -- Condell Medical Center in Libertyville should be back in the provider network of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Illinois later this year, the insurer said Wednesday.

Blue Cross said it has renewed its contract with the state's largest hospital system, Advocate Health Care, which last month announced it will acquire Condell for $180 million. Condell will be included under that Blue Cross contract, if the acquisition wins state and federal approval, Blue Cross and Advocate said in a joint statement.

Condell last year terminated its contracts with Blue Cross, the state's largest health insurer, over a nasty dispute that spawned lawsuits from both sides. As a result, patients with Blue Cross insurance are not covered for treatment they receive at Condell.

In a lawsuit filed last year, Condell claimed that Blue Cross owed it $26 million, a financial drain that in part forced it to seek a buyer. The suit is pending.